Disk watee meter



(No Model.) '2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. 'H. NASH. DISK WATER METER.

N0. 537,062. Patented Apr. 9, 1895.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L H NA$H DISK WATER METER.

No. 537,062. Patented Apr. 9, 1895..

'r E uoams FEYERS 120., pnoruum 'UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

LEWIS HALLOCK NASH, OF SOUTH N ORWALK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THENATIONAL METER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

.DISK WATER-METER."

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,062, dated April 9,1895.

' Application filed Tune 17, 1892. Serial No. 437,036. (No model.)

To all whom it mayjconcern:

, Be it known that I, LEWIS HALLOOK NASH, acitizen of the UnitedStates,residing at South. Norwalk, in the county of Fairfield and Stateof Connecticut, have invented certain Improvements in Disk Water-Meters,of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to fluid meters and consistsof certainnovel parts and I0 combinations of parts, which will be separatelypointed out in the claims concluding this specification.

In the drawings I have illustrated a meter embodying in totalcombination all the features of improvement which constitute my presentinvention. Theseimprovements are 7 not, however, necessarily connectedor combined in this way but they may beemployed separatelyin metersotherwise difierent in general operation and construction from thatshown. It will likewise be understood that "my said invention designatedin'the claims of this specification may be embodied in forms difierentfrom those shown, since various 2 5 modifications not affecting theprinciple, and mode of operation, broadly considered, may. be employedwithout exceeding the scope of said claims. o For the purpose ofinforming those skilled 0 in the art to which my invention appertains,or with which it is most nearly connected, of the nature of my presentinventions and for 5 the purpose of instructing them how the same may beparticularly and advantageously em- 3 5 ployed, I will now describe thedevices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which show the formswhich I at the present prefer to employ.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 representsa vertical longitudinal sectionthrough a meter case. Fig. 2 is a top view of the lower casing of saidmeter. Figs. 3 and 4 showa sectional and top view of the piston. Fig.5,is .an. enlarged view of a part of the registering de-, 5 vice. Fig. 6is a top view of theinterior meter case 5.

The metercase is made of. any suitable metal or material, such, 'fprinstance, as iron or brass, or a combination of metals or materials. Y

2 is the lo'wersection orba'se of the case and it is provided withan'inlet passage 3 and an outlet passage 4. Upon this base is set aconical case 5 and over it an inclosing cover 6, upon which the dialmechanism 7 is supported.

9 is a disk piston (see Figs. 4 and 3) which has a rolling ormutating-motion. It is pro- I vided with a convex bearing 8 working intothe concave bearing on the cases 2 and 5. 6e Projecting downward fromthe piston is a stem 12 operating in connection with a tapered roller11, fixed to the case 2.

, 13 is a radial abutment dividing the measuring chamber between theinlet and outlet ports. .The piston is split (see Fig. 4) and straddlesthis abutment.

16 is an arm or secondary piston connected with the registeringmechanism to which it through the meter.

22 (see Fig. 5) is an elastic band or tube embracing a pipe 20, formedon the inclosing case, and also the said rod 16, thereby makinga watertight joint and preventing water from the meter case passing up into thechamber containing the index mechanism. The arm 16 extendsinto theinteriorof the ball joint 8 of the piston and into contact with a stud23 which causes the rod 16,as the piston rolls around, to describe" atits lower end a circular movement. On the upper end of the arm 16 isattached a crown gear wheel 17, which operates a corresponding crowngear wheel 18, to which the index train of gearing is attached. Thewheel 17 has, say, one more or less teeth than the wheel 18 and hence,for each complete rolling movement of the wheel 17, the wheel 18, whichis attached to a stao tionary support and capable of revolving on itsaxis, will turn a distance equal to the width of one of its teeth andthis motion will be, by any suitable train of gearing, communicatedtothe several dial indices to indicate 5 the number of cubic feet of waterwhich has passed through the meter.

The water or other fluid measured by the meter, enters bythe passage 3into the chamber 14 between the case 5 and the case 6. too Thence itpasses through port 15 into the measuring chamber and moving the pistonaround, finally escapes through port 4 and passage 4 into the servicepipe.

This is a general description of the mech-' anism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and of the method of operation of the meter.

I will now describe more fully some of the parts of the device and willbriefly refer to some of the advantages which result from the use ofsuch improved devices.

I do not deem it necessary to describe in detail the operation of thepiston shown in the drawings, as water meters having pistons operatingwith a motion of nutation are not new. r

The piston may be made of any suitable material. It is controlled by twoseparate and independent means, one being the. press ure of the fluidpassing through the meter, as will be hereinafter described, and theother being the controlling device below the ballbearing of the piston,already described, al though, of course, it will be understood that itis not necessary to control the piston by both these means either,without the other, being for general pu rposes sufiicient, although bothmay be used if preferred as I have shown.

Referring to Fig. 5, read in connection with Fig. 1, it will be seenthat the pressure of the water upon the rod 16, which stands constantlyin a canted position, is to bring the shoulder on the rod down squarelyon its seat on the shoulder of the tube 20 and thus to force the rodinto a perpendicular position; but the rod 16 can never stand uprightbecause the pin 23 keeps it in a canted position. The water pressurethus constantly exerted is utilized to preserve the joint formingcontact between the piston and its case walls. This result is, in themeter shown, due to the fact that the pin 23 is below the center of thepiston. It could not be so conveniently placed in such position if itwere not for the fact that the ball joint of the piston were hollow. Iprefer this form because it permits of the use of a longer rod 16without increasing the height of the meter case, but the stud might beplaced above the center of the piston and the parts proportioned andarranged so as to still utilize the water pressure to preserve the jointcontact of the piston.

I do not claim broadlya device operated by water pressure for keepingthe piston in contact with its case walls, as such matter is included ina patent granted to me April 7, 1891, No. 449,820. I do, however, claimit broadly in connection with a rolling or nutating disk piston; and Ialso claim among other things, broadly, a rod connecting the registeringmechanism with a piston, whether nutating or not, which rod is actedupon by water pressure, said pressure being communicated to the pistonto preserve its joint-forming function. The device shown in theaccompanying drawings contains other improvements over those shown insaid application, such, as for instance, the improved elastic joint orcon" nection where the registering rod passes out of the meter case,consisting of a tube or sleeve of elastic material such as india rubber.It also shows an improved form of rod and shoulder. It is, of course,advantageous to have the elastic diaphragm or sleeve subjected to theminimum ficxure, as constant flexure will in time destroy such elasticmaterial. In all structures of this character with which I am acquaintedan elastic diaphragm has been employed such, for example, as that shownin my said patent. This necessitates the use of a shoulder on the rod 16of comparative large circumference and, of course, the larger thediameter, the greater the flexure and the shorter the life of the parts.Besides the constant bending backward and forward of the diaphragmspeedily causesit to cut itself in two. By the use of a rod constructedas in Fig. 5 I diminish this fiexure to the smallest possible amount butmore than this the action of the rod 16 as it revolves in acantedposition is to compress and extend the walls of the tube 22 and not tobend them back and forward as it would be in the case of a diaphragm setsubstantially at rightangles to the length of the stem 16. This is avery important consideration and I have found by experiment that a tubesuch as 22 will last for a longtime.

I prefer to have the tube 22 retained in position merely by its ownelasticity and gripping force, although it might be attached in anyother way, as, for instance, by wrapping wires around the ends. Thesocket on the end of the tube 20 may be omitted. The shoulder on the rod16 in that case would hear on the end of the tube 20. I prefer to employthe socket shown because it prevents portions of the rubber sleevecrowding in between said shoulder and its seat, under the influence ofwater pressure.

In the foregoing specification I have incidentally referred to a few ofthe obvious modifications which may be adopted in practicing myinvention, but I have not endeavored to specify all the modificationswhich might be employed, because I understand that such an enumerationis not required here, and would not be desirable even if it werepossible, the object of this specification being to instruct othersskilled inthe art to practice my invention in the present preferred formin useful combinations, and to enable them to understand the nature; andI desire it to be distinctly understood that mention by me of a fewmodifications is in no way intended to exclude others not referred to,but which are within the spirit and scope of my several inventions.

As I have before remarked many of the details and combinationsillustrated and above described are not essential to my presentinvention broadly considered. All this will be indicated in theconcluding claims, as the omission of an element from any given claim,or the omission. of reference to the particular features of the elementsmentioned, is intended to be a formal declaration of the fact that theomitted elements or features are not essential to the invention thereincovered.

Having thus described a machine embodying all my present invention, whatI claim 1. In a water meter, the combination with the measuring chamber,of a piston operating with a motion of nutation, provided with a hollowball-bearing open at one side, a pin within said ball-bearing and a rodconnected with the registering mechanism projecting into the interior ofsaid ball-bearing and controlled by said pin.

2. In a water meter, the combination with a measuring chamber of apiston operating with a motion of mutation, provided with a'hollow-ball-bearing, a pin set in the interior serve its joint formingfunction.

4. In a water meter the combination of a piston operating with a motionof nutation, pin attached to said piston below the axis thereof, and arod acted upon by water pressure in contact with said pin.

5. The combination with the registering mechanism of a water meter, of arigid tube,

a rod connecting the registering mechanism with the piston passingthrough said tube and a flexible water-tight sleeve surrounding saidtube and rod, said sleeve sustaining the pressure of the acting fluid onits outside.

6. The combination, with the registering mechanism of a water meter, ofan opening between the case containing the measuring elements of themeter and the registering elements of. the meter, of a rod having alateral motion provided with a shoulder connecting the piston with theregistering mechanism and a flexible water-tight packing arrangedsubstantially parallel with the axis of said rod.

7. The combination in the registering mechanism of a water meter, of atube, a rod having a lateral motion passing through said .tube, ashoulder on said rod, bearing on said tube, with a flexible sleevesurrounding said tube and said rod and forming a water-tight joint.

8. The combination in the registering mechanism of a water meter, of atube, a rod having a lateral motion passing through said tube and anelastic water-tight sleeve surrounding said tube and rod and forcedagainst said rod by the pressure of the acting fluid.

' 9. In a water meter the combination of a piston and registeringmechanism of a rod connecting said piston with said mechanism acted uponby water pressure to force it to a given position, and means fortransmitting the water pressure acting upon said rod to the piston topreserve its joint-forming function."

10. In a water meter, the combination of a secondary piston acted uponby water pressure in one direction, a nutating piston and means,substantially as described for transmitting said pressure to thenutating piston to preserve its joint forming function.

11. In a water meter the combination with a measuring chamber, of apiston operating with a motion of nutation provided with a controllingdevice below its center of motion to control lifting from its seat andbeing free above its center of motion.

12. In a water meter, the combination with the measuring chamber, of apiston operating with a motion of nutation provided with a guide bearingbelow the center of motion of the piston to control lifting from itsseat and unrestrained above the center of motion of the piston.

13. In a water meter, the combination with the measuring chamber, of apiston operating with a motion of mutation provided with ananti-friction guide-bearing below the center of motion of the piston tocontrol lifting from its seat and unrestrained above'the center ofmotion of the piston.

14. In a water meter, the combination with the measuring chamber, of apiston operating with a motion of nutation provided with a guide-bearingbelow the center of motion of the piston to control lifting from itsseat and also with a yielding restraining connection.

15. In a water meter the combination with I a measuring chamber, of apiston operating device consisting'of a roller fixed to a stationarysupport and a projection from the piston operating in connectiontherewith.

LEWIS HALLOGK NASH.

